In this second
volume of his saga, Odd Tangle-Hair travels to Russia to take up his post as
skald to Harald, the young renegade prince of Norway.

Intrigue and
danger await him when Odd finds himself 'caught between two wolves - the
arrogant, bullying Harald, and his sworn enemy, Ingigerd, Grand Princess of
Novgorod, who schemes against Harald by seducing Odd. While political intrigue
swirls around him, a Pecheneg horde explodes across the steppe, and Odd must
use his wits to rescue the besieged people of Kiev.

*********************************

I
was eager to read of Odd Thorvald’s travels to ancient Rus as I’d had the
chance to read book 1, Odin’s Child, which left off with Odd landing in Russia,
and because I’m fascinated with Russian history and culture.

In
The Ice Queen, Odd’s (aka Odd Tangle-Hair)
journey takes him to early Novgorod and to the court of Prince Yaroslav and
Princess Ingigerd. Odd is a sort of orator/scribe or court poet to prince Harald under whose protection he travels.

If
you enjoy historical reads (especially in the first millennium, 1031) rich in
cultural detail, this is your book. Odd has many adventures that illustrate life
at court in Novgorod, social and religious customs, mythology, and of course
politics and battles of the rough times, all written in an easy-reading style.

Interestingly,
Ingigerd (who is of Swedish descent) takes Odd to be her lover but she’s very
clever and we’re never really sure what she’s scheming. Intelligent women of
the time I imagine felt oppressed and stifled with no real outlets for their
abilities so I liked reading about Ingigerd’s machinations. She’s a strong
female MC with some political power who plots with the best of them but is
still very much a woman.

Odd
is a friendly and likeable hero. His pitfalls of character make him very
realistic. And we see him suffer the winds of fate as the tides run against and
for him in turn.

The
novel takes the reader through the early Russian landscape with Odd eventually getting
embroiled in a mission to Miklagard, or Constantinople, to be continued in The Guardsman. So settle yourself in for
a highly enjoyable sojourn through Bruce Macbain’s well researched and culturally
detailed book. 4.5 Stars!

My thanks to the author and Blank Slate Press for a reading copy.And a special thanks to my Russian and East European readers!You will find Bruce Macbain at the following links:

Infamy
is no accident. It is a poison in our blood. It is the price of being a Borgia.

Glamorous
and predatory, the Borgias fascinated and terrorized 15th-century Renaissance
Italy. Lucrezia Borgia, beloved daughter of the pope, was at the center of the
dynasty’s ambitions. Slandered as a heartless seductress who lured men to their
doom, was she in fact the villainess of legend, or was she trapped in a
familial web, forced to choose between loyalty and survival?

With
the ascension of the Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, the new
pope’s illegitimate children—his rival sons, Cesare and Juan, and beautiful
young daughter Lucrezia - assume an exalted position in the papal court. Privileged
and adored, Lucrezia yearns to escape her childhood and play a part in her
family’s fortunes.

But
Rome is seductive and dangerous: Alliances shift at a moment’s notice as
Italy’s ruling dynasties strive to keep rivals at bay. As Lucrezia’s father faces
challenges from all sides, he’s obliged to marry her off to a powerful
adversary. But when she discovers the brutal truth behind her alliance,
Lucrezia is plunged into a perilous gambit that will require all her wits,
cunning, and guile.

Escaping
her marriage offers the chance of happiness with a passionate prince of Naples,
yet as scandalous accusations of murder and incest build against her, menacing
those she loves, Lucrezia must risk everything to overcome the lethal fate
imposed upon her by her Borgia blood.

Beautifully
wrought, rich with fascinating historical detail, The Vatican Princess is the
first novel to describe Lucrezia’s coming-of-age in her own voice—a dramatic,
vivid tale set in an era of savagery and unparalleled splendor, where enemies
and allies can be one and the same, and where loyalty to family can ultimately
be a curse.

C.W.
GORTNER holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from
the New College of California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of
Design and Merchandising in San Francisco.

After
an eleven year-long career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage
retail buyer, freelance publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted
the next twelve years to the public health sector. In 2012, he became a
full-time writer following the international success of his novels.

In
his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard at
Hampton Court, learned about organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a
chilly night in a ruined Spanish castle. His books have garnered widespread
acclaim and been translated into twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000
copies sold. A sought-after public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at
writer conferences in the US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for
animal rights, in particular companion animal rescue to reduce shelter
overcrowding.

Half-Spanish
by birth and raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California
with his partner and two very spoiled rescue cats.

Countess
Katerina Vaduva roams Eastern Europe as a vampire for nearly six hundred years
experiencing the horrors of mortal man - wars, plagues, genocide and
torture. For centuries, she seeks shelter and security in the castles of counts
and sultans.

When her husband
the Count of Slovakia passes, she pursues a new life with a colonel in the
Prussian military. While her new husband quests victory at battle, Katerina
desires a Naturalist scientist who seduces her with knowledge and a greater
understanding of herself, for this she will risk everything for the one thing
she never had - immortal love and the pursuit of progress.

---------------------------------------------------

The vampire trend in books is still out there, and Jennifer Ott's take is quite different from the
usual modern, YA versions. Desperate
Moon is well rounded with oodles of philosophy, medicine, politics, and sex.
These are shown through the experiences of Katerina, a 600 year old vampire,
and then along with Dr. Siegfried Andrasko. We begin in 1800s Eastern Europe.
Katerina’s old husband dies and she and her maid servant, Hilde, set out on
travels from their quiet town.

Katerina
remarries, a handsome young Prussian Colonel and then meets Dr. Seigfried
Andrasko at a ball at their home outside Prague. Seigfried becomes a physician-psychiatrist to
her, both listening to Katerina’s history and studying her medically. He’s something
of an eccentric character who understands what she truly is and is more
interested than frightened.

The
novel examines interesting ideas like Katerina experiencing the feelings/natures
of her victims, and Seigfried’s medical study of her blood as well as a look at
all the repeated experiences of humankind that do not change over Katerina’s
long life.

I
really like the theme that Katerina and then Seigfried are interested in bettering
the condition of humanity in discovering cures for diseases. When you think
about it, vampires live very long lives and so should come to know a lot more
than the average human being about pretty much everything. Why not do something
good for mankind with it?

Fav
quote pg 366

“…
but the world does not want cures. They are quite content with their fears.”

The
character of Katerina is well written, her sombre acceptance of the world’s
ills for 600 years displayed in her sangfroid about things that would turn
regular humans upside down such as unfaithful spouses.

Overall,
the writing is of a passive style but pleasant though it left me feeling kind
of melancholy. The book is quite long and there is some repetition of the sad state of mankind. There are a few anachronisms. The ending is short but
interesting and hopeful. I would recommend this for the fans as a thoughtful, East-European-flavour odyssey into the mental workings of vampires, as well as a nostalgic,
historical type read. 4.2
Stars!

Slaughtered
and left for the crows, soldiers of the King’s Army lay dead in a field. A grim
reminder: the king’s law ends at the gates of the capital.

Elinor
fought for what she believed and now she is an outcast. No soldier will follow
her. No officer will stand with her. Yet when she finds her brothers and
sisters slaughtered, she cannot turn her back on them.

Long
ago, they swore an oath. Not to the king, but to each other.

And woe to those who break that bond.*********************************

*Possible
Spoilers*

This
is Part 2 in the A Reaper of Stone
series, which in turn is a series in the Echoes
of the Ascended parent series. I was keen to read Broken Banners partly because I’m fascinated by current popular medieval,
historical/fantasies (GoT, Last Kingdom) and so my thanks to the authors for a
PDF reading copy.

Lieutenant
Aldis Janen of the King’s 95th wrangles a dubious military commission
to Heights Ward Keep via the keep’s chamberlain in order to help pay off some debts
(Aldis makes for a good flawed character).

Elinor,
also a lieutenant of the King’s army, has just come out of some sort of debacle
from Timberline. Still, she has Conbert and his group of engineers, and they too
are headed to Height’s Ward Keep to transfer to the 95th.

But
there is a change sweeping through the realm of Aedaron and brutal events are
afoot.

This
novella is largely a brilliant battle foray by Elinor against Garett, the
banished son who has overtaken the keep. I really liked Elinor as the strong, kick-ass
female MC though there seems to be something supernatural about her battle
skills. In the previous book she gave an
oath to “a spirit of the old age” so perhaps this is the source.

There
are also fighters known as Razors that also have dangerous super abilities.

Overall,
this is concisely written and has interesting characters. Because Book 1 (A
Reaper of Stone) is also a novella, I think this series will make a better compilation
volume when part three is completed and hopefully they will be combined. It
would also benefit from more description of the environment and the characters
themselves. Broken Banners is great on battle strategies and corrupt
officialdom but, at least in this segment, there is no romance to speak of (a
hint perhaps). I really love at least a modest
subplot of romance and feel this would help round things out.

I
would recommend this novella to readers who are keen on the above mentioned qualities,
and to check out the completed series as it promises to be very good. Awesome book
cover. 4.3 Stars!

The end of this novella also gives perhaps too much in the way of
previews of other books in the series, and some promo reviews. You will find
Mark Gelineau and Joe King as the writer duo GelineauAndKing at these links:

Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Today I have a special feature, an interview
with Indie author, Linda Bloodworth. Linda has recently published A Raven's Touch, a young adult, paranormal, fantasy. I'm pleased to host an interview with
her and delve into the mental workings of a fellow Indie writer so please join
me!

Are
you strictly a Young Adult writer or do you have other genres in you calling
out to be written?

When
I was first writing A Raven’s Touch, I never really thought of myself in a
category. I suppose people like to organize styles/genres, so for now I am
YA/Paranormal/Fantasy. In the sequel to A Raven’s Touch, I believe I may delve
deeper towards the horror genre, just because that is my favourite. I love the
idea of unveiling your darkest fears and facing up to them. After all, you’re
always the hero, right?

Do
you write in silence, or do you need to have music/TV/other on in the
background?

I
prefer to write in silence. The only time I want to hear music is when I’m
working on a tough scene and a particular song may help me get into the mood.
While writing A Raven’s Touch I listened to “Possum Kingdom” by the Toadies
around 300 times over the course of 3.5 years. Seriously. That song was very
influential and got me into the right frame of mind.

I
see that you’re self-published with Pronoun, a main platform for the main retailers.
Do you think there is any value in signing on with a publishing house as of
February 2016, or do you feel at this time that Indie is the total wave of the
future?

That’s
a good question. I’m of the mind that this is the era of indie. Yes, a big
publishing house can give you marketing support, but it cannot give you soul.
The only time a publisher will provide a big push is if you’re already a big
name or they think they can really make money off you. With big money come big
responsibilities. You don’t get to pick your book cover, you don’t get to say
who edits your work, or in some cases even agree with the edits. The author
becomes the show pony and has to go to various book signings and whatever else
the publishing house wants. I am a very private person and this is beyond what
I am willing to do. For some this sounds glamorous and exciting, and personally,
I would not be able to handle such interaction. Not to mention the degradation
of my personal control over my work. I do believe you can achieve greatness on
your own terms even if it takes a little while longer.

Do
you consciously decide that your book characters will have specific traits and
strengths or weaknesses or do these come about intrinsically as you write the
story?

You
know, I honestly can say I never plan for anything. Half way through my third
major re-write I decided to throw in supporting characters that I didn’t even
dream of, but there they were. More than half the time the characters are as
much as a surprise to me as they are to the reader.

What is the writing process like for you?
Hard. Rewarding. Surprising. Each time I sit down to write I don’t know what’s
going to happen. Sometimes I paint myself into a corner, and miraculously find
a way out. It’s never oh, look at me, I’m a writer so fantastic. It’s more like
goodness, can I really call myself this, how can I even compare with the
greats? Writing isn’t like any other job. There are manuals on grammar, and
structure, but there’s no manual for your heart. Allowing your pen to flow is a
delicious rush because you can create worlds that people fall in love with all from
a few words strung together. The process of write, edit, repeat is painful, but
in the end it’s what drives me and what I live for every day.*******************************Check out one of Linda's reviews, 5 Stars! Veronica the Pajama Thief*******************************

Linda
Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are
only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and
three fur babies.In
between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the
misunderstood semi colon, Linda enjoys camping, and getting away from the city
on day trips.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Linda and sharing your experiences in writing in the Indie world! All the best in 2016.